Marines in Iraq give Osprey solid reviews

A V-22 Osprey taxies after a mission at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on Oct. 13.


Marines in Iraq give Osprey solid reviews
By Bradley S. Klapper - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Oct 21, 2008 6:54:11 EDT

ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq — After a troubled history, the V-22 Osprey — half-helicopter, half-plane — has been ferrying troops and equipment across Iraq for just over a year without a major incident.

Critics say the Osprey, which was designed to replace transport helicopters, lacks firepower for defense in heavy combat.

But pilots say the Osprey makes up for that in speed, which one of them says can take the plane “like a bat out of hell” to altitudes safe from small-arms fire.

Since arriving at this sprawling desert base in western Iraq, a dozen Ospreys have been ferrying troops and equipment at forward operating bases. One even took around Barack Obama during his tour of Iraq earlier this year.

But on only a handful of occasions has the aircraft faced any serious enemy fire.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/10/ap_osprey_102008/%2e

I think the V-22 has a future, but got off to a rocky (and highly publicized) start. A lot of programs have had serious/fatal incidents when getting off the ground. Not sure why this one got so much press.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV-22

You can also do an advanced search in this forum with the terms "osprey" and "mv-22" to read up on the Osprey.